Day: February 17, 2018

Emergency 9: Fantasy golf advice for Genesis OpenEmergency 9: Fantasy golf advice for Genesis Open

Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the Genesis Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. PAIN OR GAIN These were the top-five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: With 15 players stranded, Round 2 will not be completed until tomorrow morning. The cut is not official yet and neither will be the places used in the descriptions below. I’ll use the current suspended leaderboard as a point of reference with the understanding it can change tomorrow. As it stands, all five above will be playing the weekend with Mickelson leading the group at T26. Yikes. Hey, at least DJ rallied and made the cut! There’s hope! You See, L.A.! Former UCLA Bruin and Southland native Patrick Cantlay looks to add win No. 2 to the season as he shares the clubhouse lead after his first two rounds. The Shriners champion pointed out today that when he was at UCLA they practiced at Bel-Air Country Club and didn’t play Riviera much. He’s looking to join John Merrick (2013) as the only Los Angelinos to win this event. He’s leading the field in strokes-gained: approach-the-green and putts per GIR. Gee, Mac! Last week after round two at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, I wrote about Graeme McDowell shooting 80 at Spyglass after 71 on Pebble Beach. He opened this week with 69 and followed it with 66 to currently share the lead in the clubhouse on 135 (-7). He opened         69-70 last year before 71-77 on the weekend (67th). He also shot 66 in 2009 en route to T41, his best finish in five tries before this year. Best of luck to both of you who played him this week in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. Not Finished Yet Sam Saunders continues to pique the interest of gamers for a second year in a row at Riviera Country Club. The first-round leader from 2017 has three more holes to tame Saturday morning that could see him possibly lead after 36 holes this year. He’s tied with Cantlay and McDowell currently even with a double on his card Friday. His 11 birdies over his first 33 holes have been impressive. … Scott Stallings backed up his even-par round Thursday with a monster Friday, as he’s currently five-under-par with two holes remaining. He’s been trending properly (T23, 7th) the last two weeks and is rewarding gamers who have jumped on board. Momentum Rafael Cabrera-Bello, making his first start at the Genesis Open, rattled off six birdies in his first seven holes on Friday. The Spaniard moved up 50 places to T11 after signing for 67 (-4). He keeps reinforcing his class regardless of prior course knowledge. … German Martin Kaymer is on his debut as well as posted a bogey-free 67 (-4) to move up 71 spots to T15. … One of my favorite fantasy players, Austin Cook, is following suit of the Ryder Cuppers above. He moved up 90 spots after a magnificent 66 (-5) that included a whopping seven birdies against two bogeys. Quick learners! Night Shift Top 10 selections in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO Daniel Berger and Marc Leishman are going home early regardless of what happens early Saturday morning. Berger, the sixth-most popular selection and Leishman, No. 10, need to be subbed out if they are currently occupying a spot in your live, line up. Berger now has MC in two starts in this event while Leishman continues his all-or-nothing run with his fourth MC in nine tries. Berger will get another long look from gamers next week at PGA National. He lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington in his first try in 2015. Streakers K.J. Choi had never missed a cut here in 17 previous tries in his career. His 74-74 this week ends that marvelous streak. … Southern California native Cameron Tringale was perfect in seven tries with five checks cashed for T25 or better. He’ll join Choi in traffic after 74-73. … Brendan Steele snuck in the back door (72-71) for his seventh weekend in a row at Riviera. … Brian Gay’s streak of top-10 finishes ends at two weeks in a row with 74-75. Wood You? Tiger Woods checked in at No. 15 in the most-selected player department in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. He was also the 13th-most selected in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. His only stat category inside the top 50 this week was two-hole driving distance. He made bogey on 12 of his 36 holes and also recorded a double. This course doesn’t have any water but PGA National does and that’s where he’s heading next week. He’s never won that event either. Study Hall Jim Herman is shutting it down for a while, according to this tweet. Weekly and season-long gamers also read some interesting news today about Stewart Cink: Nicholas Lindheim WD during round 1 with an illness. It’s his second in-tournament WD this season. He also withdrew at Shriners after round one last November. … Jim Furyk returned to competition and MC after 73-73.

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Tiger Woods looking ahead after likely missing the cut at Genesis OpenTiger Woods looking ahead after likely missing the cut at Genesis Open

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Tiger Woods will be around at the Genesis Open this weekend – unfortunately he won’t be playing. In his role as tournament host at Riviera Country Club, Woods will stick around in Los Angeles for his official duties and will also work on his game after a second round 5-over 76 has him well outside the projected cut line at 6 over. The 79-time PGA TOUR winner had a tough day off the tee and on the greens hitting just four of 14 fairways (one of which came after bouncing off a tree) and needing 32 putts. “I didn’t really play that well today. I missed every tee shot left and I did not putt well, didn’t feel very good on the greens and consequently never made a run,â€� he lamented afterward. After going out in 2-over 37, Woods birdied the 10th hole to put himself right around the projected cut. But then he promptly made three straight bogeys, two with three-putts, to cut short just his second full field event since back fusion surgery last April. “I didn’t feel very good when I was warming up with my putting. The greens were fast and bumpy, and I knew that,â€� Woods said. “I need to miss the golf ball below the hole … when the greens get this fast and this bumpy, anything above the hole is virtually luck if you make the putt. I kept missing it above the hole and that’s what was ticking me off.â€� It will be just his 25th career missed cut on TOUR in 330 starts once the second round is finished early Saturday. With two tournaments and six rounds of competitive golf now under his belt, Woods said he had good and bad to reflect on when addressing the bigger picture. “I’m both pleased and also not very happy with some parts of it. It’s nice to be back competing again and to be able to go out there and play, practice after each round … something I haven’t done in years … keep building,â€� he said. “(But) just the inconsistency of it. One of my hallmarks of my whole career is I’ve always hit the ball pin high with my iron shots, and I have not done that. “My wedge game is fine, but my normal iron shots that I’ve always had dialed in for much of my entire career, it’s just not there.â€� Woods also sighted the vast differences to playing golf at home versus on TOUR and said the only way to get better was to play more tournaments. He will get his next chance soon having committed to next week’s The Honda Classic near his Florida home. Playing consecutive weeks is a sure sign Woods is not worried about his back, instead saying only his feet and knees were sore – from old age. He will be joined at The Honda Classic by the 2012 champion Rory McIlroy – who saw first-hand this week how Woods played. “He’s very close, he is very close. Give him a little bit of time. He’s still figuring a few things out with equipment – sort of in between drivers – but he’s close,â€� McIlroy said. “He hits enough good shots to know that if he sort of pieces it all together, he’s going to be right there. I think everyone just has to be patient with him, especially him being patient with it and just give himself time. “It’s a good thing he’s playing next week just to get back at it.â€�

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Cantlay, McDowell share lead at Genesis OpenCantlay, McDowell share lead at Genesis Open

Patrick Cantlay and a resurgent Graeme McDowell sit atop the leaderboard at the Genesis Open. Sam Saunders also sits at 7 under, but darkness halted his second round with three holes yet to play.

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Tiger misses cut after sloppy second roundTiger misses cut after sloppy second round

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The Upshot: Graeme McDowell tied for the lead at Genesis OpenThe Upshot: Graeme McDowell tied for the lead at Genesis Open

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Graeme McDowell was being interviewed on Sky Sports this week when the UK network posted a graphic showing his track record at Riviera. “Didn’t make for very great reading,� G-Mac said. “I was like, ‘Please, switch that off.’� In five previous trips to this week’s Genesis Open host course, McDowell has three missed cuts and a best result of T-41. Of those first 14 rounds, just two were in the 60s. The results are surprising given that Riviera is Hogan’s Alley, a course that should favor shotmakers such as McDowell. Although recent winners like defending champ Dustin Johnson and two-time champ Bubba Watson are among the TOUR’s longest hitters, McDowell doesn’t consider Riviera a bomber’s course – at least not this week. He said the dry weather has firmed up the course, forcing the big hitters to scale back and giving the shorter hitters such as G-Mac a chance to succeed in tougher scoring conditions. He’s making the most of it. Through two rounds, McDowell is 7 under, his 5-under 66 on Friday vaulting him into a tie with first-round co-leader Patrick Cantlay and Sam Saunders, who still has three holes left before finishing his second round. The 66 ties for G-Mac’s lowest round in his last 21 TOUR starts. “This is the first real dry year I can remember being here for the last four or five, and I think the firmness of the golf course is taking guys by surprise,� McDowell said. “… Historically, I’ve played well in tough setups. I’m relishing the opportunity to continue playing this tough set-up this week. I like my game plan; I’ve just got to keep executing.� The confidence is good to hear from McDowell, who entered this week ranked 219th in the world. After he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, he was ranked 13th and eventually rose to sixth. The last few years have been discouraging – his last top-3 finish was third place at The RSM Classic in 2015. “Of course, it’s tough to fight off,� McDowell said. “This game is very difficult and you do ask yourself some deep, dark questions sometimes.� His goal now is to stay out of his own way and not dwell on the negatives. He calls it “Dustin Johnson golf.� “Have that carefree attitude, have that ‘I’m really good at this game’ and get out of your own way and let your talent come through a little bit,� G-Mac explained. “I might try and keep that going this weekend. He’s pretty good.� CALL OF THE DAY Notables Considering his hot hand, Sam Saunders could be forgiven if he wanted to play through the darkness Friday. He was on fire when the horn sounded, having birdied six of his last eight holes to grab a share of the lead. But Saunders was fine with the suspension of play. “I knew going into today that I wasn’t going to finish, so I didn’t even try,� he said. “… It was nice to finish those last few holes in the dark with some birdies out there.� Saunders has three holes left and will resume play at 10:15 a.m. ET (7:15 a.m. local). Just five missed greens through the first two rounds for Patrick Cantlay seems like a good way to eliminate the stress on the tree-lined Riviera layout. “I’m hitting it really well right now,� said Cantlay, whose 2-under 69 on Friday included a string of three consecutive birdies. “Ball’s coming out of the middle of the clubface and it’s going where I’m looking. It’s always nice to play golf like that. I really feel comfortable with the golf course and how I feel about the course and how I’m hitting it. I’m really not surprised.� When Bubba Watson won at Riviera for the first time in 2014, he was bogey-free for his last 45 holes. Two years later, he had a bogey-free second round en route to another win. Watson hasn’t been bogey-free this week, but he has put together a couple of solid scores (68-70) to give himself a chance going into the weekend at 4 under. “Around here, it’s very difficult,� Watson said when asked about playing bogey-free golf at Riviera. “You know, there was a great champion that went bogey-free on the weekend one time.� A slight smile ensued. Yes, it was a self-reference. Tiger Woods’ mother Kultida was in the gallery Friday following her son, who missed the cut after shooting a 5-over 76. “It was nice to have her out there. She misses it,� Woods said. “She’s seen me go through the struggles and for her only child to go through those struggles was a little rough on her. So she’s very proud of me getting back out there and playing, and she’s very excited about it.� The other two members of Woods’ group are lurking entering the weekend. Justin Thomas shot an even-par 71 and is 2 under; Rory McIlroy also is at 2 under after a 69 when he birdied two of his last six holes. “Hit the ball really well the last nine holes yesterday and then 18 today, so last 27 I played really nicely,� McIlroy said. Defending champ Dustin Johnson shot a 2-under 69 and is 1 over for the tournament. He’ll likely make the cut but he has some work to do this weekend. Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, is 1 under after his 70. With 15 players yet to complete their second rounds, the third round will be played in threesomes off split tees beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. local). QUOTABLES No one’s getting away out there. It’s very tricky. It’s very U.S. Open-like conditions. … It’s sort of anyone’s tournament right now.I may or may not have taped a Jay Leno Garage show, went and saw who I consider a friend of mine, Ellen, and then went over and watched a taping of Big Bang (Theory). So there’s some other things we’re doing besides the All-Star Game that nobody knows about, but it’s been a blast. When you come here, it’s Hollywood. I mean, do stuff, you know? Let’s have some fun and enjoy life.I dreamt of winning everywhere. Superlatives Lowest round – Graeme McDowell and Austin Cook each shot 5-under 66s. Scott Stallings is also at 5 under on his round and still has two holes left after play was suspended for darkness. Longest drive – Tony Finau had a 375-yard drive at the 18th and made par. Longest putt – Adam Scott (who started his round on the 10th tee) rolled in a putt of 76 feet, 7 inches on the par-5 first for birdie. On his previous hole, the 18th, he made a putt of 21 feet, 5 inches. Hardest hole – The 495-yard par-4 12th played to a stroke average of 4.387, yielding just seven birdies against 48 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and 2 others. Easiest hole – The 511-yard par-5 first also played to a stroke average of 4.387, with nine eagles and 76 birdies against 5 bogeys and 1 double bogey. Bogey-free rounds – Martin Kaymer (67) and Cameron Smith (68). Scott Stallings, still on the course, is also bogey-free.

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Inside the Field: The Honda ClassicInside the Field: The Honda Classic

Winner – PGA/U.S. Open Championship Jason Dufner Martin Kaymer Rory McIlroy Justin Thomas Jimmy Walker Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship Rickie Fowler Si Woo Kim Tiger Woods Winner – The Masters Sergio Garcia Adam Scott Winner – World Golf Championship Event Russell Knox Shane Lowry Winners of the Arnold Palmer Inv. & the Memorial (Last 3 Years) Matt Every David Lingmerth William McGirt Winner – FedExCup – Last Five Seasons Billy Horschel Tournament Winner in Past Two Seasons Ryan Armour Daniel Berger Wesley Bryan Greg Chalmers Austin Cook Bryson DeChambeau Fabián Gómez Cody Gribble Emiliano Grillo Brian Harman Russell Henley Mackenzie Hughes Billy Hurley III Smylie Kaufman Chris Kirk Kevin Kisner Patton Kizzire Peter Malnati Graeme McDowell Ryan Moore Grayson Murray D.A. Points Ted Potter, Jr. Patrick Reed Webb Simpson Brandt Snedeker Chris Stroud Brian Stuard Hudson Swafford Vaughn Taylor Jhonattan Vegas Gary Woodland Career Money Exemption Retief Goosen Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Ben Crane Jim Furyk Sponsors Exemptions – Unrestricted Kiradech Aphibarnrat Sam Burns Dylan Frittelli Bernd Wiesberger PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Andrew Filbert Past Champion of Respective Event Padraig Harrington Michael Thompson Life Member Vijay Singh Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedEx Cup Points List Louis Oosthuizen Charles Howell III Lucas Glover Keegan Bradley Luke List Anirban Lahiri Ian Poulter Stewart Cink Scott Brown Jamie Lovemark Sung Kang Ollie Schniederjans Rafa Cabrera Bello Sean O’Hair Robert Streb Bud Cauley Kevin Tway Danny Lee Kelly Kraft Patrick Rodgers Morgan Hoffmann Chad Campbell Cheng Tsung Pan Harold Varner III J.B. Holmes Camilo Villegas J.J. Spaun Scott Piercy Michael Kim Scott Stallings Byeong Hun An Martin Flores Luke Donald Richy Werenski Ryan Blaum Robert Garrigus Brian Gay Derek Fathauer Tyrone Van Aswegen Harris English Dominic Bozzelli Nick Watney John Huh Blayne Barber Ben Martin Rory Sabbatini J.J. Henry Top 125 (Prior Season Nonmember) Thomas Pieters Tommy Fleetwood Tyrrell Hatton Alex Noren Major Medical Extension Ryan Palmer Sangmoon Bae Jon Curran Bob Estes John Peterson Leading Money Winner from Web.com Tour & Web.com Tour Finals Chesson Hadley Top Finishers from Web.com Tour Prior Season (reordered) Alex Cejka Andrew Landry Peter Uihlein Tyler Duncan Ben Silverman Tom Hoge Martin Piller Nicholas Lindheim Jonathan Randolph Brice Garnett Aaron Wise Abraham Ancer Stephan Jaeger Talor Gooch Shawn Stefani Xinjun Zhang Adam Schenk Joel Dahmen Rob Oppenheim Corey Conners Bronson Burgoon Cameron Tringale

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