Harry Hall was trying the will he entered two rounds of the Masters. He shot five times and two mind-numbing days passed when, on Friday afternoon, he promised reporters, “It’s not over yet.” He felt he had a 50/50 chance of making the cut.
The hall did not have a coin counter, not even closed. But that was not the point. He labored through the toughest test of his golfing career, looking and sounding completely broken after the first round, explaining that he needed two drivers in the bag, a new putter and irons that could spin better.
When he came down from the podium on Friday, his wife was waiting for him with a big hug. He threw his hands to Harry’s side as he stared into the distance. What I thought was, That man chose this job, and, at this time, the game beats him.
The next time I thought about Harry Hall was on Tuesday, when I was checking out this week’s PGA Tour event on Hilton Head Island, SC, the RBC Heritage. The remains of all those who were missed in Augusta showed themselves who was grinding in Harbor Town – Hall among them.
The Englishman fired 266 shots on Monday, 46 more than any other person, at least 50 of whom were drivers. Some are missing on the left, some on the right. His search showed up in the data, but you can also see it in the last question I asked him about Augusta.
Fighting with the driver?
“Struggle to hit it where I’m looking,” he said.
Only JJ Spaun, Rickie Fowler and Andrew Novak joined the Hall in the 200+ golf department on Monday. Fowler didn’t qualify for the Masters, Spaun was outnumbered and Novak, well, walked up the 18th hole wondering if it was his last time playing in the tournament.
That’s what headspace pros can find at Augusta National. And before they even had a chance to accept what had happened, to Hilton Head and its $20 million fund.
As difficult as it may be to be a regular PGA Tour TV viewer to tune in to the most important golf this weekend, my advice would be to look at this week through a different lens. While Scottie Scheffler may walk away with the title (and tartan jacket) given the form he appears to be in, some players are thinking scary thoughts – and a very long week at Hilton Head may just be the warm hug they need.
3 things I feel…
1. Uber. . . Green?
My Uber driver last week told me he had the pleasure of picking up Nick Faldo and his wife a few weeks before the Masters. That meant he could drive down Magnolia Lane without getting an invitation to play the course. Maybe we should all start driving Ubers in Augusta?
2. Koepka is coming
As of this writing, Brooks Koepka is a starter for this week’s Signature Event at Hilton Head. That is very important because the only way he can qualify for these events is not by being exempt from sponsors but by playing good golf. Koepka’s recent run of four top-20s in his last five games earned him enough FedEx Cup points to play his way back into the tour’s top events. Is anyone surprised?
3. It was so bad it was good
At the Masters, I often find myself watching where Rory McIlroy’s last shot ended on Sunday, on the edge of the 10th hole. It’s a fun place. Many shots have spin clank around the pine trees and can fall into all kinds of crazy lies. I have watched many players have to go out with 4 irons to get to the 18th fairway. McIlroy’s first shot was so poor it gave him enough room to rip a 6-iron into the green, making an easy bogey. But I keep thinking about another universe in which he should have worked a lot it is difficult to do 5.
