Albatross helps Luiten to lead in Andalucia

INZAI CITY, Japan – Tiger Woods shot a second straight 6-under 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the rain-hit ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Teeing off in front of empty stands, Woods picked up where he left off after a 64 in Thursday’s opening round with a birdie on the first hole, one of seven on the day that gave him a 36-hole total of 12-under 128, two shots ahead of Gary Woodland. Woods took the lead on the par-4 17th when his approach shot landed a foot from the hole and he made the easy birdie putt. His only bogey came on the par-4 second hole. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tiger chases Snead’s record | Monday finish determined for ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Organizers of the PGA TOUR’s first tournament in Japan closed the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club course to spectators for Saturday’s second round over safety concerns. Woodland, who shared the lead with Woods after the first round, had five birdies including three straight from the par-3 16th.

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When it comes to his equipment, Tony Finau doesn’t like to change much. Yes, he changes his golf ball and switches up markings between holes when things start going poorly, but Finau prefers to stick with what he knows when it comes to his clubs. After wins in his last two PGA TOUR starts, there likely aren’t many changes coming to Finau’s bag, if any. He sits seventh in the FedExCup standings as the Regular Season comes to a close this week and is in line for a spot in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10. Finau’s Nike Vapor Fly Pro model driving iron, which he’s been using since 2016, serves as an example of his loyalty. He has no plans of switching to a different model, though he did have to switch to a new head after the original finally caved in after six years of use. “I’m hoping to get about six to seven years out of this one,” Finau told GolfWRX earlier this year. “I only have one backup, but I’m hoping I’ll get six to seven years out of that one, too.” Finau did switch into a Ping putter for the first time prior to his victory in the opening event of last year’s FedExCup Playoffs. The custom PLD Anser 2 prototype head was built to his unique preferences and came equipped with a black Garsen Ultimate grip, which is flat on three sides to place golfers’ hands in a position where the palms face each other and the wrists are neutral. Company founder Bernerd Garsen, who spoke with GolfWRX on Monday, said Finau has been using the three-sided Garsen Ultimate grip for seven to eight years. He used a green version of the grip on a Piretti putter before Ping installed a black one on the custom Ping PLD Anser 2 that he started using last year. Finau hasn’t changed the grip since, even as it begins to show some wear and tear. Players are particular about their grips, especially when it comes to the putter, and Finau is yet another example of their desire to keep a consistent feel in their hands. He’s kept the same grip even though a replacement would be available in an instant. He isn’t the only player slow to change his putter grip. Remember Harris English at last year’s Ryder Cup? The first of Finau’s two consecutive victories, at the 3M Open, came on a banner day for the company, as Brooke Henderson also used the grip to win her second LPGA major, at the Amundi Evian Championship, that day. Finau’s backup Ping putter is equipped with a custom green-and-black Garsen Ultimate grip that also has the Tony Finau Foundation logo on it. Garsen developed the custom green version to replicate Finau’s black Ultimate grip, and a portion of the proceeds go to the Tony Finau Foundation. For now, at least until it finally falls off, Finau is happy using his black version in competition. “Tony is just a very simple guy,” Garsen said. “He doesn’t like changing that much. … He’s like, ‘Don’t touch it, don’t mess with it.’ I mean, the grip he has on now is so frayed it’s about to fall off. … It definitely has a lot of character.” After back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic, can you really blame Finau for sticking with it?

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Winning on the PGA TOUR didn’t seem possible a few months ago. Tyler Duncan was just worried about regaining his TOUR card. He needed an 11th-hour Hail Mary, a T4 in the final event of the recent Korn Ferry Tour Finals, to do it. RELATED: Final leaderboard | Winner’s Bag Professional golfers are always days away from a life-changing achievement, though. And that was the case for Duncan, who won his first PGA TOUR title Sunday at The RSM Classic. The 30-year-old turned pro in 2012. This was his first win in more than 150 starts on PGA TOUR-sanctioned tours. “You never know, this is a crazy game,â€� Duncan said, “It can go several different directions.â€� His biggest win before this week was the Indiana State Amateur. Duncan started the week ranked 378th in the world. On Sunday, he held off the highest-ranked player in the field and the hottest player on the PGA TOUR. Duncan made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation, then birdied the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with Webb Simpson to win his first PGA TOUR title. Duncan finished at 19-under 263, shooting a first-round 67 at Sea Island’s Plantation Course before shooting 61-70-65 in the final three rounds on the Seaside Course. He moved from 151st to 11th in the FedExCup standings and earned invitations to events such as the Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship. He also is exempt on the PGA TOUR through the end of the 2022 season. Duncan led at the halfway point after shooting a second-round 61 that included a hole-out from 106 yards. He made 18 pars on a low-scoring Saturday at Sea Island, though, and got lapped by Brendon Todd’s 62. The final round was played in cold, windy conditions, which played to the strengths of the Duncan, who grew up in colder climes. His 65 matched the low round of the day. “When I saw (the forecast), I was like it’s going to be great because you just go out and play solid golf. And one of my strengths is ball‑striking, controlling my ball and I did a pretty good job of that,â€� Duncan said. “Anytime there’s wind, you have to be able to really control your ball and it definitely worked in my favor.â€� Duncan has to rely on accuracy to succeed. Listed at 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, he ranked 150th in driving distance last season (288.2 yards). He missed just one fairway and two greens Sunday, and finished the week ranked fourth in greens hit and sixth in driving accuracy. He spent most of the final day outside the spotlight, though. Todd was seeking to become the first player since Tiger Woods to win three consecutive PGA TOUR events. He blocked his approach into the marsh on the fifth hole, though, and made double-bogey. His 2-over 72 ended a streak of 12 consecutive rounds of 68 or lower. He will enter the new year with a 140-point lead in the FedExCup after finishing fourth. Simpson, the former U.S. Open and PLAYERS champion who is soon to represent the U.S. in the Presidents Cup, took a two-shot lead into the back nine. Recent winner Sebastián Muñoz caught Simpson in the middle of the back nine, but Simpson holed a 22-footer for birdie on 16 to take a one-shot lead. He stared down the putt before pumping his fist when it dropped in the hole. After Simpson teed off on 17, a roar went up from 18 for Duncan’s closing birdie. Simpson holed five-foot par putts on the final two holes to tie Duncan. Duncan hit his approach inside Simpson on each playoff hole. Duncan missed from 22 feet on the first extra hole before making a 13-footer for the win. He made his only bogey of the week on the first hole Sunday, but made six birdies and no bogeys the rest of the day. He preceded his birdie on 18 by holing a 7-foot birdie putt on the 192-yard, par-3 17th. “He’s very strong mentally,â€� said his caddie, Zach Guthrie, who was the assistant coach at Illinois while Duncan was playing for Purdue. Duncan proved that Sunday and it resulted in his first PGA TOUR title, an accomplishment that once felt far away.

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