Golf

Ted Potter's back and he's playing in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour's team event at the TPC Louisiana in Avondale.

Ted's partner is little-known Alejandro Tosti, and they shot a 6-under-par 66 in Thursday's first round. They're five strokes off the pace behind four times who posted 11-under 61s, including the team of Rory McIlroy and Steve Lowry.    

    Saturday is known as moving day in professional golf, and there may never have been a moving day like yesterday at Augusta.

    Scottie Scheffler wound up the day with a one stroke lead in the Masters after he posted a 1-under-par 71; he begins today at 7 under. Collin Morikawa's impressive 3-under 69 put him second at 6 under, one ahead of Max Homa, who shot 1-over 73. Fourth belongs to Ludvig Aberg at 4 under after a 2-under-70 (who in his ancestry decided it was pronounced O-berg). He's followed in fifth by Bryson DeChambeau, who began the day leading under and ended at 3 under after a sloppy 75. 

    At one time or another during the round, they all spent time on the lead, or tied, or close to it.

    After the wind killed many rounds on Friday, the cut line ballooned to plus six, and a host of big guns didn't make it, including Dustin Johnson (+13), Fred Couples (+12), Bubba Watson (+10), Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman (+9), Viktor Hovland (+8), and Mike Weir, Sergio Garcia and Justin Thomas, all at plus 7. 

    Gator Camilo Villegas made the cut at 5 over, as did Seminole Brooks Koepka , at 2 over. However, yesterday they both shot 76 and out of contention for a high finish. 

    And then there was a fella named Tiger. After making the cut with ease at 1 over (73-72), golf's No. 1 ambassador  imploded yesterday with a career high 10-over-par 82 and left the networks with one less major story. He dropped from a tie for 22nd into a tie for 53rd.  

    Even with only a one-stroke lead going in, Scheffler has to be the choice today, but after moving day's problems, it's really anybody's guess. 

    The last Gator to win on the PGA Tour was Camilo Villegas in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November. Since then, the Colombian hasn't been the same, adding a bunch of missed cuts and way down-the-list finishes.

    Camilo will try again starting tomorrow in the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, along with two other Gators, Billy Horschel and Tyson Alexander. Camilo missed the cut at last week's Texas Children's Houston Open with rounds of 73-82, and he's only made three cuts in 2024 with earnings of $94,964. But he won't need a gofundme effort on his behalf since he's earned $22,882,415 since joining the Tour.

    Horschel, on the other hand. whose lifetime earnings have reached a gaudy $35,972,854, is in top form as witnessed by his tie for seventh in the Valero (71-68-67-64-270) and a check for $276,412, which ballooned his 2024 haul to $790,194. He's cashed in five events so far and his Sunday 64 was the best round of the day.

    Tyson had a monumental rookie year in 2022-2023 with earnings of more than $1 million, but so far hasn't been able to duplicate that season. He put together rounds of 70-67-76-68, and the poor third round was responsible for a tie for 64th and a meager check for $19,383. His best this season was a tie for sixth in the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches and a check for $137,250, but even with that healthy cash he's only made four cuts and earned $197,502. 

    The defending champ at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course is Corey Conners, who shot 15 under par and collected $1,602,000.

    Stephen Jaegar (69-66-66-67-268) was the upset winner last week at 12 under par and he took home $1,638,000. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (65-70-66-68-269), who never seems to miss the top 5, was one stroke behind.     

    Daniel Berger will carry the torch for the Seminoles in San Antonio.

    The Players Championship is geared up for a bang-bang finish today in Ponte Vedra, with Xander Schauffele, at 17 under par, leading by one stroke over Wyndham Clark, who is one more ahead of lefty Brian Harman. Clark gave up the 36-hole lead he had forged by a pair of 7-under 65s, adding a Saturday 2-under 70 for his 16-under 200. Xander took the lead with a 7-under 65, while Harman made a huge jump with his 8-under 64 over the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.

    There are six players within five shots of Xander, but he will be tough to run down if he continues his hot hand. 

    All the Gators missed the cut of 1 under: Camilo Villegas with 73-82, Billy Horschel with 71-74, and Tyson Alexander with 71-74. Senior Steve Stricker, the Champions Tour leader, took time out from the elderly tour but missed the cut with 72-74. 

    The leaders tee off just before 2 p. m., so it will be around 6 when a champ is crowned. 

    The Puerto Rico Open always brings out various groups: including former big-time PGA Tour players who are not riding the big wave anymore, and a slew of newbies looking to break through for a full-time exemption.

    Among the former group is Ocala's Ted Potter, who hasn't been seen in a while after spending a decade or so with the big guns, winning twice and running up more than $6.1 million in prize money. Ted played in this one at Grand Reserve Golf Club (par 72, 7,506 yards) last year and finished tied for 59th at 1 under par, earning a check for $8,664.

    Also among the huge group of "formers" are Bill Haas, Brandt Snedeker, Geoff Ogilvy, Sean O'Hair, Jeff Overton, Jason Dufner, Aaron Baddeley, Ben Crane, Ricky Barnes and D. J. Trahan. Barnes tees off with Ted and Martin Trainer in tomorrow's first round, starting at 6:34 a. m. 

    Nico Echavarria is the defending champ; the Columbian won at 21 under last year and collected $684,000. He'll be joined this time by fellow Columbian and ex-Gator Camilo Villegas, a recent winner on Tour. In last week's Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, Nico tied for 21st at 10 under par. Austin Eckroat won the event that for years was the Honda Classic, and he collected $1.6 million. Gator Billy Horschel tied for ninth at 12 under and Tyson Alexander (68-70-69-66-273) tied for 16th at 11 under.

    Seminole Daniel Berger is also in the entries in Puerto Rico. 

    At Bay Hill, all the remaining elites (who haven't defected to the boring LIV golf tour) are among the short field of 69 honoring Arnie. They include Jusin Rose, Jason Day, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth and Shane Lowry.

    Unfortunately, for the average fan, the problem of identifying most of the 6' 2" same-build players from behind makes the TV coverage less enjoyable. Not like the days when Arnie, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, Watson, Mickelson and others could always be picked out, no matter what angle the cameras had on them. \

     Of course, the LIV problems go much deeper, but that's a column for another day.    

By the Marion County Golf Association

  Brent Dorman successfully defended his Marion Masters Senior title. The 36-hole tournament, which is for Marion County residents who are least 50 years old, finished at Ocala Golf Club.

    Dorman shot a final round 4-under-par 68 which gave him two-day total of 4-under-par 140. Finishing in second was Steve Humphrey who was also under par. Humphrey, who finished second nationally for Super Senior Amateur in 2023, shot a 1-under par 143. In third place was Tommy Lowe with a 148 score. Fourth place was Jeff Morley at 149 and tied for fifth were Richie Crile and Scott Goldbach with 150s.

    Winning the Super Senior Division was Jeff Faulkner, who shot back-to-back 3-under-par 69’s for a 6-under-par 138 total. Coming in second place was Robert Parmar with a 2-under-par 142. Tied for third were Phillip Yancey and Bob Bailey with 145. Bill Zylstra was alone in fifth with a 147 total.

    In separate division play, it was Dorman winning the 50-59 title with his 140 finish followed by Richie Crile and Scot Goldbach at 150. In fourth place was Lyle Livengood with a 152 and Paul Irvin was fifth with 155.

    Winning the Silver Senior Division (60-64) was Humphrey with his 143 followed by Lowe at 148. Third place went to Morley at 149 and finishing in a tie for fifth was Bill Knapp and John McLeod at 150.

    In the 65-69 Super Senior Division Faulkner topped the list with his 138 followed by Parmar at 142, Yancey at 145, Dave Falcone with 150 and David Mears at 152.

    In the Golden Seniors Division (70-74) Bailey was first at 145 with a Zylstra second at 147. Jim Prendergast was third at 148 with Mike Arminio and Laurie Harrison tied for fifth at 150.

    There was a tie for the top spot in the Legends (75+). Randy Briggs and Ron Russo ended up with 155 scores. Briggs shot 78-77 and Russo shot 76-79. Finishing third was Tom Stephenson at 157 (83-74) and Dick McDonough was fourth with 162 (88-74).

CHIP SHOTS – Several participants shot their age in the tournament. Dick McDonough (75) shot 74, Bob Bailey (71) shot 69, Bill Zylstra (72) shot 71, Mike Armino (74) shot 71 Robert Parmar (69) shot 67, Jim Prendergast (72) shot 72, Tom Stephenson (76) posted a 74 and Ron Russo (80) shot 76 and 79.

    Ted Potter won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2018, and a couple of years later, after losing his PGA Tour exemption, he was still able to play in the California event due to his status as a past champion. The popular tournament kicks off Thursday, and this time Ted is not entered. In last year's event, he shot 4 over par and missed the 54-hole cut. 

    Justin Rose is the defending champion - he toured the Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Club in 18 under par last year and took home a cool $1,620,000.

    There are no Gators playing, Tyson Alexander opted out after tying for 48th last year and earning $22,821, and Camilo Villegas began the week as the fifth alternate so his chances of getting in are slim.   

    The PGA Tour moves to La Quinta, California on Thursday for the second full-field event of the new season - The $8.4 million American Express - to be played over three courses: the Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta Country Club and Nicklaus Tournament Course.

    There is no defending champ - last year's winner, Jon Rahm, has moved on to the controversial LIV adventure. 

    There are three Gators ready for action, Camilo Villegas, Tyson Alexander and Billy Horschel, and one Seminole, Daniel Berger, who hasn't been seen for a while. In last week's Sony Open in Hawaii, Camilo missed the cut after rounds of 72-70, 2 over par, and Tyson made the cut with 70-66, added a 72 on Saturday, then withdrew on Sunday. Horschel shot 68-68-68-65, 11 under par, tied for 18th, and earned a check for $106,102. 

    Three players tied for first in Hawaii at 17 under par, and Grayson Murray won it with a nearly 40-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, No. 18. Byeong Hun An and Keegan Bradley both parred the extra hole.  

    The PGA Tour season has begun with the Sentry Open in Hawaii, and the 59 eligible players have ripped up the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua for the first two days.

   Scottie Scheffler, the Tour's No. 1 player for the last two years, holds a one-stroke lead heading into round 3 at 16 under par. Tyrell Hatton, Brendan Todd and Sungjae Im are tied for second at 15 under. There are 22 players within five strokes of the lead so this one promises to go right down to the wire.

    The only Gator in the field is rejuvenated Camilo Villegas, who spent the past several years without an exemption, until he won and finished second in back-to-back events near the end of last season to regain his standing. Camilo is tied for 23rd with rounds of 65-71-136, 10 under par. 

    Martin Musgrave, Tommy Lowe and Robert Parmar won the Marion County Golfer of the Year honors in their respective age divisions, all of them first-time winners of the award.

    The year-long competition included 10 events in which the golfers could accumulate points toward this county honor, finished up with the recently held Golf Central Cup. 

    Musgrave played in every point event, winning two of them, the Marion Masters and Stone Creek Fall Classic.  He garnered 16,750 points for the competition year. Finishing second is a former GOY champion, Matt Giovannelli, with 15,353. Gio won three events in the 2022-2023 season, the Country Club of Ocala Invitational, George Scales Memorial and the final event of the year, the Golf Central Cup. Finishing third was Justin Grant with 10,650 points followed by Ryan Letterly at 7,875 and Riley Owen fifth with 5,817 points.

    The Senior Golf of the Year honor went to Lowe, who also played in every event. Lowe amassed 15,650 points by finishing up near the top in tournaments played and winning the George Scales Memorial. Daniel Owen finished second with 10,200 points but only played in four events and managed to win three of them. Owen won the Bo WIlliams City Am, Stone Creek Fall Classic and the Golf Central Cup. Finishing in third place was Travis Wilemon with 8,525 points. Among his good finishes was a win in the Summer Games. Brent Dorman’s win in the Marion Masters Seniors helped him to fourth place with 8,100 points. Finishing in fifth place was Scott Thul with 8,000 points.

    Parmar’s four wins in the Super Senior Division made him a runaway winner. Parmar amassed 22,875 points by virtue of wins in the Memorial, Marion Masters Senior (SS Division), George Scales and the Doug Oswald Invitational. Berger Warner finished second with 10,755 points. Warner’s points were highlighted by winning the Marion Masters Super Senior and the Golf Central Cup. David Mears finished third with 9,992 points. Bill Zylstra was fourth with 7,967 points and Jim Williams was fifth with 6,775 points.

GIOVANNELLI, OWEN, WARNER GOLF CENTRAL CUP WINNERS

    The Golf Central Cup was the last tournament of the wrap-around-year for the Marion County Golf Association and featured 16 golfers each from the Open, Senior and Super Senior Golf of the Year standing. When the final scores were tallied at Ocala Golf Club, Matt Giovannelli and Daniel Owen were clear winners, but Berger Warner needed extra holes to claim his victory in this one-round shootout.

    Giovannelli shot a 5-under-par 67 to edge Justin Grant by a single stroke (68) in the Open Division. In third place was last year’s winner, Ben Law,with a 69. Tied for fourth place were Daniel Meadow and Bill Searcy with even par 72’s.

    In the Senior Division, Owen fashioned a 3-under-par 69 to top Scott Thul and Jeff Morley who both posted 2-under-par 70’s. Finishing in fourth place was Carl Erickson with a 72 and fifth place went to Tommy Lowe with a 73.

    At the end of regulation play in the Super Senior Division, Warner and Robert Parmar ended up tied as they both shot 4-under-par 68’s. Warner came out on top in the four-hole sudden-death playoff. Finishing in third was David Mears with a 3-under-par 69. Fourth place went to Bill Zylstra with a 2-under-par 70. Alone in fifth place was Bob Bailey with a 72.