Most-Picked Players: THE NORTHERN TRUST

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A fan leaned over the nylon rope with his arm extended as Justin Thomas marched to the first tee to start his rain-delayed first round at THE PLAYERS Championship. “Air bump,” Thomas said as he held out his fist in the direction of the fan. Collin Morikawa greeted PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan on his way to the tee, as did Rory McIlroy. The sun shone and all was calm at Golden Hour, nearly 5:56 p.m. Thursday, their new tee time. The rain had delayed things five-plus hours, but the chaos was just beginning. With 4.8 inches of rain giving way to brutal wind, Group 31’s hellish first round would take parts of three days and 43 hours to complete. “Bethpage ’09 U.S. Open is probably the closest I’ve experienced to something like this,” McIlroy said after shooting a second-round 73 (2 over total). What did he do to kill time with his wife, Erica, and daughter, Poppy? “A lot of ‘Frozen.’ A lot of ‘Peppa Pig.’ A lot of ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.’” It was less a first round for the ages than a first round that could age you. McIlroy, Morikawa and Thomas played two holes Thursday, 13 holes Friday, and took up where they’d left off with their second shots at the par-5 16th hole as play restarted at noon Saturday. Their seemingly never-ending first round ended just before 1 p.m. as Thomas doubled 18 to shoot 72, McIlroy was 132nd (of 143) in putting for 73, and Morikawa (also 73) bogeyed 17 and 18. They were immediately sent back out for more, and Thomas wowed with a 3-under 69 in the wind, second best of the second round (Bubba Watson, 68). Morikawa shot 75 and was at 4 over. Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge are co-leaders, but only Fleetwood (even through three holes) has even begun his second round. The 36-hole cut won’t likely come until around noon Sunday. “It was very weird, obviously hard to get into a rhythm,” Thomas said of the Round 1 slog. “Had a lot of different emotions; first off thinking it looks like we were on the right side of the draw and being pretty excited about that, and then realizing that was very much not the fact. “And then just having to get over that as quick as I could,” he continued, “because it’s obviously frustrating, especially when I feel like I’m playing well, kind of getting just thrown into something like that.” He had so much time to think about the tedium of the first round, and how it could have been avoided, he began to fault his scheduling priorities. “To be perfectly honest, I blame Tiger,” he said, tongue in cheek, “because I played in the afternoon so I could go to his Hall of Fame ceremony (late Wednesday night). If I would have just maybe stuck to my guns and played early, I would have been better. I’m just joking.” All told, there were 35 of the 72 players in the late Thursday wave who started their opening round that night and ended it Saturday afternoon. Their experiences underline what a strange tournament this has been, and sent some observers scrambling to find comparisons, if any exist. In 2016, Jaime Diaz wrote in Golf Digest about the 1986 U.S. Women’s Open at the NCR C.C. in Dayton, Ohio: “The championship was first delayed after a railroad tanker derailed and spilled a load of phosphates, which raised clouds of poison smoke throughout the community. Shortly thereafter, the area also experienced heavy lightning storms and a 4.2 earthquake. When the sun finally came out, players complained of flesh-eating flies.” This PLAYERS hasn’t been that crazy, but it has required near superhuman levels of patience, and a closer look at the featured group of McIlroy, Morikawa and Thomas shows just how much patience. Morikawa posted on social media that he spent more time warming up than playing Thursday, when the threesome got in exactly two holes and one tee shot – by Morikawa – before darkness halted play. On Friday, after players were taken off the course and play was finally called at 3 p.m., Thomas posted a picture of himself and his dog, Franklin, with the tag: “Rain delay stuff.” “Not much,” he said, when asked how else he killed time. “We have some good friends that live like 15 minutes away, so we’re staying in their house. The Spieths are there with us, so we’ve just been hanging out. I will say that a dog and a baby keeps the downtime, occupies it a lot easier for the both of us.” (Jordan Spieth and wife Annie welcomed a son, Sammy, in November.) The downside for Thomas after his stellar second round was that a Monday finish at TPC Sawgrass, as is now inevitable, means he and his father, Mike, must cancel a trip to Augusta National on Monday and Tuesday. The bright side is that he, and likely McIlroy, will play on after the cut. “Yeah, it’s unfortunate,” McIlroy said of the weather the last three days, “but hopefully sort of get back on track tomorrow and get this thing going.”

Click here to read the full article…

Round 3 begins today at the Farmers Insurance Open. The strong field includes Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Xander Schauffele, Phil Mickelson and more. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS). Sunday, 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. ET (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Groups), Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes), Sunday, 11:15 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. ET. Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. ET. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS 12:00 p.m. ET: Rory McIlroy, Adam Hadwin, Rory Sabbatini (Off 1st Hole) 12:00 p.m. ET: Phil Mickelson, Jason Dufner, Kevin Stadler (Off 10th Hole) MUST READS Wacky weather hits Torrey Hovland cards 65 to take lead Mack III builds experience McIlroy shelves aggressive mindset for impressive start Wolff WDs with hand injury Johnson out, Mack III in Insider: Leishman gets back to his artistic ways Tiger talkes from Torrey Pines CALL OF THE DAY

Click here to read the full article…

For Morgan Stanley, it’s more than just golf competition at THE PLAYERS Championship. As a Proud Partner of the PGA TOUR’s flagship event, the company believes in furthering their impact beyond the tournament. This week, Morgan Stanley took that impact beyond the ropes, educating young women on the professional sport and their future endeavors. On Tuesday, Morgan Stanley hosted 25 girls from the local First Tee chapter at their No. 18 hole hospitality venue. During their visit, the girls had the chance to listen to a panel discussion with LPGA Tour professional, Cheyenne Woods. Woods, who currently plays on the Ladies European Tour, was part of her local First Tee chapter in Phoenix, Arizona, growing up. At the event, Woods offered her personal and professional advice to the participants attending. Through her Q&A, she spoke about her experience as a woman in golf and how the First Tee was a critical part to her career. “I think that it’s important to embrace women and girls in golf,â€� Woods said. “It is a very male-dominated sport, and for women to connect through it, we can push and support each other. Being involved with the First Tee growing up helped with my career because I had mentors to look up to and that helped me along the way. Even if you don’t play professionally, there are a lot of characteristics you can take away from the sport.â€�  Morgan Stanley brought out several other guests to the panel, including Cynthia Howard, with the PGA TOUR and a First Tee of Metropolitan New York board member; Taylor Strick, with Aon; Jen Weiler, from the First Tee; and Valerie Wong Fountain, from the Morgan Stanley local branch. Together, those on the panel represented several industries to help educate the girls with career advice. Before the networking event, Morgan Stanley had one more surprise for some of the First Tee participants. Five of the girls each received a $1,000 scholarship, which funds an internship for each to be mentors in their local area. Isabel, who is a senior in high school, was one of the recipients of the scholarship. She will be attending Southern Westland to play on their Division II golf team, and will be majoring in communications. “I have been a First Tee participant for 10 yearsâ€� Isabel said, “and the mentors in the organization have become family to me. It is an honor to receive this scholarship to be able to give back. I have had so many mentors growing up, and to become one is amazing for me.â€� Taking it inside the ropes, 2018 FedExCup Champion Justin Rose serves as an ambassador for Morgan Stanley. In partnership with THE PLAYERS, Rose and Morgan Stanley will again be implementing their Eagles for Impact Challenge for the fourth consecutive year. With the 24th eagle made during competition, Morgan Stanley will reach a milestone of donating $1 million through the challenge. While on the course, Rose will be sporting a Book Trust pin on his hat for the entirety of the tournament to help raise awareness for the charity and the Eagles for Impact program. Through the challenge, celebrations of great shots are made by giving back to communities and future generations. About Morgan Stanley and Eagles for Impact At Morgan Stanley, giving back is one of our core values and we are committed to helping children succeed. As a proud partner of THE PLAYERS® Championship, we created the Eagles for Impact Challenge. For every eagle made at the tournament, we donate $5,000, the equivalent of 1,500 books to Book Trust, which supports youth literacy. Ten-time PGA TOUR champion Justin Rose joined the Morgan Stanley team as our brand ambassador in 2017, a relationship rooted in our shared set of values and commitment to helping children around the world. Says Rose, “Morgan Stanley as a company embodies many of the traits that I pride myself on: focus, integrity and giving back.â€� We also both strive to find solutions to challenges, whether on and off the course. For more information, visit https://www.morganstanley.com/golf. About Book Trust Book Trust empowers students from low-income communities to choose and love their own books. When children can choose and own what they want to read, they are building a lifetime love of reading and learning. Last year, Morgan Stanley donated 93,000 books to children in need across the country thanks to the 62 eagles made during the tournament. For more information, visit https://www.booktrust.org/.

Click here to read the full article…