Sleepers: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational

Gary Player will celebrate his 85th birthday on November 1st. The legend and World Golf Hall of Famer - a 24-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including nine major championships - is using his milestone birthdate to encourage athletes, celebrities, brands and fans to donate to Golf Fights Cancer. Fighting cancer and supporting cancer research has been one of Player's core passions. He sadly lost his mother to cancer, his wife is currently battling cancer, and he has lost numerous other family members and friends to this disease. "My birthday wish this year is to continue the fight against this terrible disease, and to further support the work being done around new research and treatment methods," Player said. "Five members of my family have battled cancer, as well as millions and millions of families. This might be the most serious disease of our time." To show support, fans are encouraged to share their own birthday messages with Player and donate $8.50 in honor of his 85th birthday. "My dream is that by the time my great-grandchildren reach their 85th birthdays like me," Player said, "the world will have entirely new, cutting-edge ways to detreat and, ultimately, defeat cancer." Golf Fights Cancer is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that taps into the collective fundraising power of the entire golf community to raise funds for cancer-related organizations and families living with the disease. It was co-founded by PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. Specifically, GFC makes targeted donations for equipment, services, and/or amenities that make an immediate positive impact on treatment and the experience for both the patient and family. Founded in 2003, GFC has raised nearly $10 million to address unmet needs in the fight against cancer. To donate, visit www.golffightscancer.org/garyplayer.

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jon Rahm returned from a month off and played like he was never gone. Justin Thomas took the advice of a 15-year-old and had his lowest score of the year. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Dustin Johnson shoots 70 without a driver in the bag Both opened with an 8-under 63 on Thursday at THE NORTHERN TRUST as the PGA TOUR’s postseason began with no shortage of bizarre developments. Rahm, who missed his chance at the Olympics because of COVID-19, expected a little rust in his game. It just didn’t show on his card. He chipped in for birdie, saved par on the next two holes and was on his way. Thomas had benched his putter for bad behavior after he spent too much of the year not seeing putts go in the hole. But during his junior event last week, a teenager asked why he wasn’t using his old putter. “And I found myself defending myself to this 15-year-old,” he said. “I was like, ‘Why am I not using this thing?’ It’s not like I’m making a lot of putts with what I have. If you’re putting well, any of us can go out and putt with anything.” He didn’t hole all of them, but enough to record nine birdies for his lowest round since a 62 last November in Mexico. Bryson DeChambeau also made nine birdies. He was eight shots behind. His round of 71 was noteworthy because of the pars he made on No. 4 and No. 10. Those were the only pars he made all day. The nine birdies were offset by five bogeys and two double bogeys. It was the first time in 10 years someone shot par or better with two pars or fewer. Not to be overlooked was Dustin Johnson, one of the most stress-free players in golf — at least he looks that way — who uttered words rarely heard: “Threw me for a loop.” He was hitting drivers on the range, and hitting them well, right before teeing off when a few of them came off the club funny and another one sounded funny. His driver cracked, and Johnson headed to the first tee with 13 clubs and one head cover for his 5-wood. He had a spare 3-wood in the car — but no driver — and got that on the third hole. If that wasn’t enough, he decided on a putter switch at the last minute. He still managed a 70. Otherwise, there was a range of good golf in surprisingly strong wind off the Hudson River across from the Manhattan skyline. Harold Varner III had a 66 in the morning, boosting his Playoffs chances. He is No. 72 in the FedExCup standings, and only the top 70 after this week advance to the next tournament. With the points at quadruple value, some big movements are expected. The six players at 67 included Adam Scott (No. 82), Robert Streb (No. 68) and Mackenzie Hughes (No. 67). Open champion Collin Morikawa, the No. 1 seed, struggled to keep the ball in play and opened with a 74. Jordan Spieth at No. 2 opened with a 72. Rahm has endured the strangest of times with COVID-19. He tested positive on the day he built a six-shot lead through 54 holes at the Memorial and had to withdraw, and then returned to win the U.S. Open for his first major. And then after more negative test results than he can remember for The Open Championship — he tied for third at Royal St. George’s — he had two more negative tests prior to his departure for the Olympics before a positive result showed up. The next day, he took two more tests (both negative), but by then it was too late. He returned from his bout with COVID-19 by winning a major. This is different. He never had a chance to win a gold medal because he never made it to Tokyo. But he wouldn’t mind the same result, which in this case would be a FedExCup title worth $15 million. “I sure don’t want to have to rely on being pulled out of tournaments to be able to win one, let’s just say that,” he said. Thomas knows putts that don’t fall is not the fault of the equipment, but something had to change, so he benched his putter at he U.S. Open. Ultimately, it’s about getting the speed to match with the line of the putt, and he did that well for so much of the day. He holed a 35-foot birdie putt for his first lead on the par-3 14th, gave it back with a poor chip, and then drove the 283-yard 16th green to set up a closing stretch of three straight birdies. The day started with another development: Patrick Reed withdrew with a sore ankle, the second straight week he has had to withdraw. Reed is No. 22 in the FedExCup, and there are only two tournaments left to qualify for the Ryder Cup. He is No. 9 in the standings, and only the top six automatically qualify. The idea was to give it another week of rest and being ready for the next one.

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RIDGELAND, S.C. — Chesson Hadley is off to his best start on the PGA TOUR since 2016, shooting a 5-under 66 on Friday for a two-stroke lead over Dustin Johnson in the Palmetto Championship at Congaree. RELATED: Leaderboard | Brooks Koepka to miss cut at Palmetto Championship at Congaree Hadley was at 11-under 131 at Congaree Golf Club, his lowest total through 36 holes since the The RSM Classic in 2016. Johnson, who opened his afternoon round five shots behind early starter Hadley, was tied for the lead through 17 holes. But Johnson drove the ball left on No. 18 and into a thick, deeply rooted patch of tall grass. He took an unplayable lie, hit his third shot over the green and made a double-bogey 6 for a 68. Still, at 9-under 133, he had his best 36-hole start since winning the Travelers Championship almost a year ago. “I feel like I’m playing really well,” the South Carolina native said. “So got a lot of confidence in what I’m doing.” American Tain Lee, in just his third career PGA TOUR event, was third at 7 under after a 68. A group of six that included Harris English and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen were five shots behind at 6 under. Hadley continued his stellar play at Congaree, a fill-in host after the RBC Canadian Open was was called off for a second straight year due to COVID-19. Hadley followed an opening 65 with seven birdies and two bogeys to top the leaderboard. Coming in, he had missed the cut in 10 of his past 12 events. “I definitely didn’t see this coming,” he said. Why would he with his poor stretch of play? After falling short at the Byron Nelson last month for his fifth straight missed cut, the 33-year-old from North Carolina shut things down for a while to clear his head. “Thank goodness I had three weeks off after that just to kind of completely get that behind me and just think about the future,” he said. These two rounds have jump-started Hadley’s waning confidence. “Obviously, we’re a long way form the winner’s circle,” Hadley said. “I’m so thankful to just feel that again, like I belong out here type of thing.” And he’ll play the third round with someone who certainly belongs in Johnson. He’s gone without a top 10 in his past seven starts, a run that included missed cuts at the Masters, where he was defending champion, and the PGA Championship in his home state. Johnson said even he was thrown off course with his recent performances. “For me, it’s all about the misses,” he explained. “If you can keep your misses in play or on the right side of holes, it makes the game a lot easier.” He did that to near perfection, except for that final hole. Johnson had four birdies on a six-hole stretch of the back nine to catch Hadley for the lead. Then the bad drive at the last, which Johnson said came when the club slipped in his glove hand. “That’s a first for me. I obviously was not expecting that,” he said. Hadley, moved in front at 9-under with a 36-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole. He extended his edge on the 15th, landing his approach within 2 feet of the cup for another birdie. Hadley closed with a flourish after sticking his second shot within 8 feet of the cup for another birdie to finish with day’s lowest round. Brooks Koepka, who hadn’t played since his runner-up finish at the PGA, struggled for a second straight round and missed the cut after a 73 left him at 3 over. Wondering if Koepka will be ready for next week’s U.S. Open? There’s this: He missed the cut at the Byron Nelson, then finished second a week later at the PGA Championship. Lee had to Monday qualify into all three of his PGA TOUR starts. Now, he’s four shots off the lead. “Yeah, that’s pretty crazy. That’s wild,” he said. First-round leader Wes Roach followed his opening 64 with a 77 to fall 10 shots behind Hadley.

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