KAPALUA (Mauri) – Collin Morikawa shot a second round 66. He is two ahead of Scottie Schffler (66), and J.J. Spaun 68, halfway through the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Morikawa is ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting. This score can be attributed at least partially to Stephen Sweeney (a new member to the team since November). Morikawa said that putting was “previously like guesswork” when he was first learning how to put. He was not a winner last season and was only ranked 131st in Strokes Gained : Putting. Guesswork? This week Morikawa was all smiles. He has had company. The no-cut Sentry, 38 players after Xander Schauffele withdrew due to a bad back, is a place where stress dies naturally and Strokes Gained: Happiness reigns. There has been virtually no wind and birds have been abundant. The purse increased from $8 million to $15 million last year and $2.7 million went to the winner. The soft breeze, lapping waves and clean slate for ’23 are also responsible for the smiles. Scott Stallings (72) and 7 under won the opening round 67. He then told the happy story of finding a brand new set Titleist T100s in his garage during the off-season. His 2022 best year was his greatest, and he had worn the grooves from his T100s all along. Luke List, a Sentry rookie, enjoyed an early tee-time Friday and shot 65 (10 under), six back. He looked forward to spending time with his family at the hotel pool. Will Zalatoris, a Sentry newbie, is thrilled to be playing anywhere. He shot 69-69 in the first round after returning from a back injury that ended his season last fall. All parties have won simply by being there. Jon Rahm, who was runner-up in 2018 and ’22, said that it is a huge bonus. Rahm was one of three players who broke the 72-hole scoring record of PGA TOUR at last year’s Sentry. He recovered from a poor start with bogey-bogey but finished the round bogey, par. His 71 ended a string of six consecutive rounds of 67 or higher at Kapalua’s Plantation Course. He was five behind. It wasn’t all bad. Rahm and his family – he and Kelley have two boys – arrived in Maui early to enjoy the activities. Every day is Christmas. This is because of the whale-watching and zip-lining, as well as the pool. It is also the most talked about story of the week at the Sentry. The one where Tom Kim, a new Dallas resident, spent Christmas Day at Jordan Spieth’s home in Dallas. Family is what you will find. Spieth, a 13 time PGA TOUR winner, won the 2016 Sentry. He shot a second-round 66, and is only three behind. Kim, who shot a 69 on Friday, is four behind. Figures. They were never close before last fall. Cameron McCormick is their swing coach. They played Kapalua together on Thursday and have a kind of big brother, little sister dynamic. Tony Finau (69 years old, six back), hosted a low-key tournament for his team earlier in the week. Boyd Summerhays was his coach and he had his talented golfing children, one of which is Preston. Preston won the Kapalua’s Bay Course “family invitational” with a score of 65. Finau shot 66. Finau said, “We’ve played The Bay Course a lot like the years that we’ve been here,” and already has one win in this season’s Cadence Bank Houston Open. He also won back-to-back races last summer. “I wanted to do something more formal. Because there is so much talent in our family, and our group, I wanted to make it official. They enjoy coming down to watch me play this week and are happy to do so. Scheffler would be returning to the top of the world. With a tie for third, or better, Scheffler is No. 1. Is there anything more joyful than this? Kapalua’s happiness is best measured by its ability to take the sting out even bad golf. Spaun will be competing at the Sentry, but joked about his troubles at last month’s unofficial QBE Shootout, where he was tinkering with his swing and let down Keith Mitchell. Someone asked Spaun: Are you still friends? Spaun replied, “I don’t know.” Spaun said, “He hasn’t texted me in a while.” Spaun didn’t text me since then. Spaun is back in Maui where Morikawa is putting down putts, Zalatoris competes, and Rahm, Spieth lurk once more. Those three words really come to life.
By: Cameron Morfit
Title: Happiness rules at Sentry Tournament of Champions
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/news/2023/01/06/happiness-rules-at-sentry-tournament-of-champions-collin-morikawa-scottie-scheffler-kapalua.html
Published Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2023 18:30:00 -0500
Leave a Reply