Sleeper Picks: THE CJ CUP

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Tommy Fleetwood brings to mind some of the best ball-strikers of yesteryear. The Englishman, with his long locks and aggressive hip turn through impact, looks like a brown-haired version of a young Johnny Miller. He harkens back to the days before space-age technology infiltrated the game, when players flushed unforgiving forged blades and hit wound balls that flew off-line after the slightest mis-hit. Fleetwood is such a good ballstriker, in fact, that he was able to shoot the best round of this Open Championship without his best stuff. Fleetwood’s 6-under 65 on Friday was the low score, and first bogey-free round, thus far at Carnoustie. He sits at 5-under 137 through 36 holes. Earlier this summer, England was two victories from winning its first World Cup since 1966. Now Fleetwood is two rounds from bringing the Claret Jug back to his homeland for the first time since Nick Faldo’s win at Muirfield in 1992. Fleetwood will have to find his swing first. “Normally, when you play great you know where the ball is going,â€� Fleetwood said. “A lot of the shots, I was just looking up, and I was really happy that they were going straight. I didn’t feel fully confident and fully comfortable with my swing.â€� Fleetwood has hit 27 of 36 greens this week, but he headed to the range for a late-afternoon practice session after finishing his first-round 72 with bogeys on 16 and 17. He signed his scorecard around 5:30 p.m., then spent an hour on the driving range with his coach and caddie to “neutralizeâ€� his swing. His swing was too short and under the plane, leading to shots pushed right of his target. “Sometimes … you’ve just got to hit balls and work your way into some good swings,â€� Fleetwood said. Even though it would help his competition, he was hopeful that the rain would cease so he could head to the range Friday for another post-round practice session. Normally, when you play great you know where the ball is going. A lot of the shots, I was just looking up, and I was really happy that they were going straight. I didn’t feel fully confident and fully comfortable with my swing. Thursday’s extra work set the stage for Fleetwood’s latest impressive performance in a major. He is coming off a second-place finish at Shinnecock Hills, where he barely missed a birdie putt for 62 and finished one shot behind Brooks Koepka. Shinnecock and Carnoustie are two of the toughest venues in their respective rotas, but Fleetwood is 12 under par over his past 54 holes on those courses. Fleetwood is in contention at Carnoustie despite playing in the tougher half of the draw, as well. The late-early players got Thursday’s strongest breezes and Friday’s heaviest rain. Only Zach Johnson (69-67) posted a lower score from their half of the field. “Our side of the draw, we had to sort of tough it out a little bit,â€� Rory McIlroy said after shooting consecutive 69s. Fleetwood is unprecedented territory at The Open. He may have grown up around the corner from Royal Birkdale, but he has found more success in the Open held across the Atlantic. He finished fourth at Erin Hills before this year’s runner-up. Last year’s T27 at Royal Birkdale was Fleetwood’s best finish in four Open Championships. He missed the cut in his first three starts in golf’s oldest championship. He owns the course record at Carnoustie, though, after shooting 63 in last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. That is the European Tour’s version of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The event is held on three courses and conditions are easier to ensure the amateurs can get around in a timely fashion. Friday’s round was just his fourth sub-par score in 10 rounds at The Open, and was his lowest ever at this championship. “It’s no course record, but it will do,â€� Fleetwood said. “It was a spirited effort today.â€�

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CureSearch for Children's Cancer is the annual QBE Shootout's primary charitable beneficiary. Since 1989, the QBE Shootout has raised more than $14 million for CureSearch and other charitable causes. The national non-profit foundation accelerates the search for cures for children's cancer by driving innovation, transcending research barriers and solving the field's most challenging problems. This year, the 2020 QBE Shootout's chosen Honored Fighter from CureSearch is Peyton Armstrong. Peyton had been diagnosed with high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at only 10 years old. At an early age, Peyton had undergone multiple harsh treatments, misdiagnoses and unexpected surgeries on his long road to recovery. Now, at 20 years old, Peyton is in remission and is celebrated as one of cancer's toughest survivors. Cancer, to say the least, was no easy obstacle for Peyton to overcome, along with the many others that have a similar story. Peyton's mother, Jess, wanted to ensure her son was safe in any environment he was in while going through his recovery from cancer. That's why the family created "Peyton's Potion" - a safe, effective, uplifting and sustainable multipurpose cleaner. The "potion" helps to mitigate the smells of treatments that might otherwise make patients, such as Peyton, nauseous and helps to ensure patients are not susceptible to other bacteria in rooms. Peyton and his family now run the business together, hoping to help other patients feel just as safe as he did while undergoing treatments and surgeries. As the chosen Honored Fighter, the participant is typically brought on-site to the tournament for a VIP experience, similar to 2018's Honored Fighter, Joseph Campione. Due to the pandemic, Peyton was a virtual Honored Fighter for this year, sharing his experiences through calls and recorded videos. Graciously, the tournament has given Peyton the opportunity to come on-site next year to the 2021 QBE Shootout to have the full experience. Although some of his opportunities as an Honored Fighter will be delayed until then, Peyton had the chance to FaceTime two PGA TOUR players, Tony Finau and Cameron Champ. Both Finau and Champ, after their practice round at the QBE Shootout, took the time to reach out to Peyton and chat both about Peyton's Potion and him being the 2020 Honored Fighter. "We look forward to seeing you out on-site next year at the 2021 QBE Shootout," said Finau and Champ. "It was so fun getting to talk to Finau and Champ," said Peyton. "They were really nice guys who I look up to. I hope I get to meet them in person one day." Peyton is now a sophomore at Utah Valley University and is studying Mechanical Engineering while helping to run the family business, Peyton's Potion. More about Peyton and Peyton's Potion Peyton's Potion is a vehicle for Peyton to use his experience overcoming childhood cancer to help other children going through the same thing. Peyton is a mentor to other children with cancer, speaking at schools and community events, sharing his story and raising awareness. His determination and strength are an inspiration to other children overcoming childhood cancer and to all of us as we are presented with challenges in our lives. Read more at https://peytonspotion.com/ More about CureSearch Mission: End childhood cancer by driving targeted and innovative research with measurable results in an accelerated time frame. CureSearch for Children's Cancer is a 501(c)3 U.S.-based non-profit foundation that accelerates the search for cures for children's cancer by driving innovation, overcoming research barriers and solving the field's most challenging problems. We fight every day to make new, better treatments possible for the 43 children diagnosed with cancer each day. Read more at https://curesearch.org/About-Us

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