PGA Tour professionals slam Cognizant Basic setup: “little dissapointed”

The well-known ‘Bear Lure’ at PGA Nationwide, which has pissed off gamers for years, has develop into a giant, snuggable teddy bear.

Gone are the times when this course flexed its enamel, when any participant would gladly take any rating underneath par. That is now not the case as a result of course officers overseeded the fairways and greens earlier than this yr’s event, doing so for the primary time since 2014. Additionally they eliminated some bunkers.

As Jordan Spieth defined, “overseeding modifications [the course] rather a lot 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 taking a look at simply a stroke a spherical on simply the change within the grass sorts 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 believe it’s positively gettable. Nevertheless 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 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 previous Bear Lure 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 once you miss the green,” Horschel stated.

“I actually want we might simply play this as a straight Bermuda. From tee to inexperienced, all the pieces needs to be straight Bermuda. I do know it doesn’t look prettier on TV and I do know that’s one of many the reason 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 could be very scoreable, however on the identical time, you’ve nonetheless acquired to go on the market, hit golf photographs, and make putts. However this might be, proper now, if scoring type of stays the way in which 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 event by I’m going to say a shot and a half.”

Photograph by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Photos

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 suppose I’d be 6 photographs 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 previous PGA Nationwide.”

Final yr, Austin Eckroat gained by three photographs 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 crimson figures.

“It’s just a bit disappointing as a result of it’s such a terrific check of golf, and like I stated, the situations, no wind, we’ve had rain this week, which makes it softer. However I believe in the event you add the Bermuda consider — in the event you had Bermuda tough and Bermuda fairways and in the event you missed the inexperienced you needed to chip it off Bermuda as a substitute of overseeded rye, it makes it just a little bit harder,” Horschel added.

“Pay attention, it’s three days left. Hopefully the wind picks up. Hopefully we see just a little little bit of PGA Nationwide as a result of it’s enjoyable enjoying this golf course when it’s robust. I believe a number of us do take pleasure in it. I believe Sepp [Straka] and I talked about that and Cam Younger. All three talked about how pleasing it’s to play a very robust golf course and never should really feel such as you’ve acquired to go shoot 5-, 6-, 7-under par. Usually 2-, 3-under is a very good spherical right here.”

Not anymore.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.