The calendar officially turned to spring last week, which means as the snow melts in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, the active season for posting scores is right around the corner for those in cold-weather states.
On the pro golf circuits, the PGA Tour closed its “Florida Swing” with Paul Casey successfully defending his title at the Valspar Championship. The LPGA Tour returned stateside after spending a month in Australia and Asia, with Jin Young Ko outlasting four challengers – including both Korda sisters – at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Phoenix.
The field of 68 has been reduced to a Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, but March Madness doesn’t just apply to basketball. Get your brackets ready as the best in men’s golf head to the Lone Star State. Here are three things to know heading into this week.
Match Play Madness in Austin
With few exceptions, PGA Tour events consist of 72 holes of stroke play over four days. This week, the format shifts to match play as the top 64 players in the Official World Golf Ranking battle in the WGC–Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin (Texas) C.C.
Here are a few things that might look a little different this week:
- Concessions: The ball doesn’t necessarily need to be holed if a player’s opponent concedes the stroke.
- Strategy: Look for more aggressive play because a quadruple bogey only means a loss of one hole, not the ticket to a missed cut.
- Shorter rounds: If a player is 3 up with two holes to play on his opponent, the match is over and they don’t have to play the 17th or 18th.
Presidential Perfection
Most golfers will remember a shot or two from their day’s round, but those memories fade over time, with one exception that will undoubtedly last a lifetime: a hole-in-one.
At age 72, President George W. Bush can finally claim his first. On March 20, “43” recorded an ace on the par-3 12th at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
