The well-known ‘Bear Entice’ at PGA Nationwide, which has annoyed gamers for years, has turn out to be a giant, snuggable teddy bear.
Gone are the times when this course flexed its enamel, when any participant would gladly take any rating below par. That is now not the case as a result of course officers overseeded the fairways and greens earlier than this yr’s match, doing so for the primary time since 2014. In addition they eliminated some bunkers.
As Jordan Spieth defined, “overseeding adjustments [the course] lots as a result of it’ll make the fairways softer which makes them wider, after which across the greens it’s considerably simpler than the dormant Bermuda.”
“You’re simply a stroke a spherical on simply the change within the grass varieties within the fairway.”
Thursday’s morning wave produced record-low scoring on the Cognizant Basic. Jake Knapp fired a 59, and 12 different gamers posted rounds of 65 or higher. Each time you blinked, one other participant made a birdie someplace.
“Doesn’t actually shock me,” stated Russell Henley when speaking about Knapp’s 59.
“When the wind is down like this, I feel it’s undoubtedly gettable. However it doesn’t matter what the situation is. Anytime you shoot 59, it’s nice, and it’s unbelievable.”
Knapp now has the course report at PGA Nationwide and signed for the primary sub-60 spherical in any PGA Tour occasion performed in Florida, per Justin Ray. His 59 can also be the fifteenth sub-60 rating in PGA Tour historical past.
“I believed I performed effectively, however then somebody shot 59,” stated Daniel Berger, who posted an 8-under 63.
“The course was not the outdated Bear Entice we’re used to.”
Billy Horschel, who encountered an alligator halfway via his spherical, agreed and expressed his disappointment with the setup.
“The tough shouldn’t be lengthy sufficient. It’s not penal sufficient if you miss the golf green,” Horschel stated.
“I actually want we’d simply play this as a straight Bermuda. From tee to inexperienced, the whole lot needs to be straight Bermuda. I do know it doesn’t look prettier on TV and I do know that’s one of many explanation why it’s overseeded. However it’s unlucky as a result of for me, rising up in Florida, the one benefit I’ve is being born and raised on Bermudagrass, understanding the intricacies of enjoying on Bermudagrass, chipping off it, and judging the lie out of it. I don’t have that benefit as perhaps somebody enjoying out in California on poa annua greens, feeling snug on poa annua greens.
“It’s a little disappointing. I’d say the situation of the course may be very scoreable, however on the identical time, you’ve nonetheless acquired to go on the market, hit golf pictures, and make putts. However this will likely be, proper now, if scoring type of stays the best way it’s going into the afternoon, I’m going to suspect as a result of there’s not a lot wind projected this afternoon, this would be the lowest scoring common within the historical past of this match by I’m going to say a shot and a half.”
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Michael Kim, who has performed effectively over the previous month, shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday.
“Huge rye overseed and no wind make this course a lot simpler however didn’t assume I’d be 6 pictures again after a 65,” Kim posted on X after his spherical.
Kim will seemingly not even be among the many top-10 after the primary spherical concludes.
Added Joel Dahmen on X:
“I miss the outdated PGA Nationwide.”
Final yr, Austin Eckroat received by three pictures at 17-under par. The yr earlier than, Chris Kirk and Eric Cole completed at 14-under and Kirk went on to win in a playoff. No champion posted a 72-hole rating decrease than 12-under within the 12 tournaments performed between 2011 and 2022.
Knapp is already there after day one, with many different gamers lurking deep in purple figures.
“It’s just a bit disappointing as a result of it’s such an important take a look at of golf, and like I stated, the circumstances, no wind, we’ve had rain this week, which makes it softer. However I feel when you add the Bermuda think about — when you had Bermuda tough and Bermuda fairways and when you missed the inexperienced you needed to chip it off Bermuda as a substitute of overseeded rye, it makes it slightly bit harder,” Horschel added.
“Pay attention, it’s three days left. Hopefully the wind picks up. Hopefully we see slightly little bit of PGA Nationwide as a result of it’s enjoyable enjoying this golf course when it’s powerful. I feel loads of us do get pleasure from it. I feel Sepp [Straka] and I talked about that and Cam Younger. All three talked about how gratifying it’s to play a extremely powerful golf course and never must really feel such as you’ve acquired to go shoot 5-, 6-, 7-under par. Usually 2-, 3-under is a extremely good spherical right here.”
Not anymore.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Observe him on X @jack_milko.