> Off the bench
Jack Maguire (above) didn’t start his four-ball match, but he was the one that ended it.
A bloody nose kept Maguire off the course for the first four holes Tuesday morning. His partner Tae Wan Lee held his own against Brandon Pierce and Sam Burns, as Lee birdied Nos. 1 and 4 and kept the match all square until his partner was able to join him on No. 5.
After he hit his tee shot to eight feet on the par-3 17th, Maguire made the match-clinching birdie. Said his father: “Good thing he’s not a boxer.”
> Something’s gotta give
The ninth foursome match Wednesday morning features a pair of teams that succeeded in the format in 2011. For the East, Matthew NeSmith and Cody Proveaux combined for a 1-up victory last year, while Scott Scheffler and Connor Black shot 30 on the front nine at Eagle Point en route to a 7-and-5 win.
> Wake up, make up and then warm up
Matthew NeSmith and Sierra Sims having late morning matches is part strategy, part publicity. The two players will travel 4.5 miles down the road and appear on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. Their days will begin with a pre-6 a.m. wake-up call, a 6:45 a.m. make-up appointment at the studio, and after their 7:15 a.m. interviews, they will return to Bay Hill to begin warming up by 7:45 a.m.
The strategy probably came into play Tuesday more than anything, as NeSmith and Sims both played in the afternoon mixed foursome matches, meaning they only have to play 18 holes Wednesday.
> Winning
Three players posted a pair of wins Tuesday. Connor Black and Thomas Lim each posted a pair of points for the West, while Tae Wan Lee prevailed twice for the East. Lim’s day was especially bright, as he never trailed en route to his two victories.
> Looking ahead…
Based on Tuesday’s afternoon foursome pairings, it’s certain that Wednesday’s afternoon four-ball pairings will be comprised of the 20 players below:
East Boys
- Parker Derby, Columbus, Ga. (2013)
- Jack Maguire, St Petersburg, Fla. (2013)
- Cody Proveaux, Leesville, S.C. (2012)
- Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. (2014)
- James Yoon, Bradenton, Fla. (2012)
East Girls
- Sierra Brooks, Sorrento, Fla. (2016)
- Casey Danielson, Osceola, Wis. (2013)
- Yu Liu, (China) Aventura, Fla. (2013)
- Anna Newell, Tampa, Fla. (2014)
- Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga. (2012)
West Boys
- Brad Dalke, McKinney, Texas (2016)
- Zecheng Dou, (China) Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (2015)
- Brandon Pierce, Covington, La. (2013)
- Scott Scheffler, Dallas, Texas (2014)
- Dylan Wu, Medford, Ore. (2014)
West Girls
- Hee Wook Choi, (South Korea) San Diego, Calif. (2013)
- Allisen Corpuz, Honolulu, Hawaii (2016)
- Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. (2013)
- Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif. (2016)
- Lindsey Weaver, Scottsdale, Ariz. (2012)
Written by Chris Richards, AJGA Communications
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