NAPA, CA – Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes led the ProCol Championship with his job at 9-under 63 on Thursday. The massive crowd followed Scotty Schaeffler and the US Ryder Cup team, seeing complicated results.
For a long time, Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin was not even a low Griffin from Silverado. Russell Henry was 65 years old with Land Griffin.
Schaeffler, who hasn’t finished under eighth since March, lost one straight win in Wine Land in a refreshing afternoon and had to settle for par and 70 on the par 5 18th, wild from the tee.
Ten players from the Ryder Cup are here for the competition and are trying to stay sharper than Bethpage Black in two weeks, but that wasn’t lost to them, regardless of their score.
Henry shot 65 and US Open Champion JJ Span won 67. It’s not uncommon to see prominent players in the same group on TV. The difference here is that they all spend their time together – the same wave of tea time, the same mansions they hang out in their leisure time.
“I think it was a little different to knowing that we are all kind of pairing in the same small area of tee time today, and we obviously spent a lot of time with each other this week, so it’s definitely slightly different to what this tournament was like in March,” he said. “You know, the Ryder Cup is right there.”
Don’t get the idea that this is Social Week. Schaeffler was visibly annoyed by a shot that was against gravity, and showed much when he stayed in thick rough conditions on the par 5 12th day bunker. He turned around and slammed the club into the ground. The stance was so troublesome that when he finally found a way to play it, he had to jump into the bunker after hitting it.
Schaeffler made a par. He made pars on all par 5s, contributing to his first score, which began with “7” since the 72nd round of the Travelers Championship in June.
“This is his first go” round. It’s very goofy,” Spawn said. “I don’t think I like this place the first few times I’ve been here, but you learn how to play it and learn where to miss it. Especially in the afternoon, the Greens aren’t great. It’s just Poa Anua, they’re sloping and they get pretty fast.
Hughes plays for other reasons. He missed the top 50 of the FedEx Cup. But those finishing in the top 60 are the fall series coming into Pebble Beach and the Riviera.
The Canadian had nine birdies on 13 holes, allowing his mind to think briefly about 59, because he thought the par was 71.
“The goal is to get into that top 60 and set up your first setup to this year,” said Hughes, who is on No. 65.
Captain Keegan Bradley of the Ryder Cup was in Silverado, but only as an audience member.
“This is great,” Bradley said Schaeffler, Henry and Spawn were standing behind the 13th green walking side by side along the fairway.
Sam Burns was 71, and the other Ryder Cup players – Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantray, Harris English and Colin Morakawa were all 72 years old.
The 72-year-olds were just outside the cuts they entered on Friday. Young is the only Rider Cup player to play the tournament with 36 holes cuts in the past five weeks.
Bryson Deccanbaugh was not on the field as he is an unsuitable LIV golf player for PGA Tour events, but Xander Schauffele is home to Florida with his newborn son.