Leaderboard: Playoff continues at Torrey Pines

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NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Brittany Lincicome walked off the 18th green after her first PGA TOUR event to applause before stopping on the way to the clubhouse to sign autographs and acknowledge spectators’ warm wishes. The LPGA Tour player made sure to savor every moment of a historic weekend she wished could have lasted longer. “I would’ve liked to have shot better (Thursday),” said Lincicome, who missed the cut at the Barbasol Championship after shooting a 1-under 71 on Saturday. She failed in her bid to become the first female player since 1945 to make the cut in a PGA TOUR event. “Obviously, today was a pretty nice day, so I guess ending with today’s round is a good way to leave.” Meanwhile, the crowd atop the leaderboard includes one of Lincicome’s playing partners. Robert Streb, six-time PGA TOUR winner Hunter Mahan, Tom Lovelady and Troy Merritt shared the lead at 18 under after a busy day in which much of the field had to complete the rain-delayed first round before starting the second. Merritt tied the course with a first-round 62 on Thursday. “I just tried to keep pace today,” Streb said after shooting 63 with nine birdies. “Obviously, the scores were very low, you get to place the ball and the greens are holding. Everybody’s making a bunch of birdies and I’m just trying to keep up and have a chance tomorrow.” Sam Ryder — who played with Lincicome — and Blayne Barber each shot 63, and Billy Horschel had a 69 to stand within a stroke of the lead. Richy Werenski and Cameron Percy were two behind, J.T. Poston was 15 under, and four more — including Hall of Famer Davis Love III — were within reach at 14 under. Attention before that focused on how Lincicome would finish with her chance of making golf history out of reach. The eight-time LPGA Tour winner with two major titles was the first woman since Michelle Wie in 2008 to play in a PGA TOUR event. Lincicome had sought to join Babe Zaharias (1945) as the only women to make the cut. Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam and Suzy Whaley have also played in PGA TOUR events. Lincicome faced a huge hurdle after an opening 78 left her near the bottom of the field. She had six birdies in Saturday’s rain-delayed second round at Champions Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club, highlighted by an eagle-3 at 17. “I thought I hit it a little short,” Lincicome added. “I thought it was going to spin back a little bit on me. Then when it landed I was like, OK, it’s on top and then it rolled back and I was like, `Oh, my gosh.’ The highlight of my week.” Lincicome also had consecutive birdies on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes before another on No. 10. But her round included six bogeys, including three on the final four holes, and she finished at 5 over 149. Playing partner Conrad Shindler, who made the cut along with Ryder, described playing with Lincicome as “a pleasure, a treat.” Despite her roller-coaster performance, he felt her approach was consistent. “She does the same thing every shot,” he said. “She just knows where it’s going to go. Each day, she gained confidence.” Her goal now is applying lessons learned from playing with the men back to the LPGA Tour. Lincicome couldn’t immediately say whether she would return to play this event, but seemed eager for LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR players to be on the same course in some form. That remains to be seen, but Lincicome definitely appreciated this opportunity with her PGA TOUR counterparts. Even without the history. “Just being inside the ropes with the guys, hitting on the range, on the putting green, it’s just a cool feeling,” she said. “I feel like I’m at home here. The guys just made me feel so comfortable.”

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The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play is back. Wednesday's opening round is the first of three days of pool play. After Friday, the player with the best record in each of the 16 four-man pools will advance to knockout play. Two rounds apiece will be played Saturday and Sunday to crown a champion. Tee times were moved up two hours in anticipation of inclement weather, which could another layer to one of the year's most intriguing weeks. This is the only event where players go mano-a-mano, and Austin Country Club is a perfect site for this format thanks to its offering of risk-reward holes. Can reigning FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson win again in Austin? Can Justin Thomas go back-to-back after his PLAYERS victory? Will Collin Morikawa win a second straight World Golf Championship? Those are among the storylines we'll be tracking this week. There will be 32 matches in each of the next three days, and this file will be updated live at the conclusion of each match to keep you apprised of the action from the TOUR's only match-play event. Return here often to learn about the latest upsets, comebacks and nail-biting finishes. Until matches conclude, here's a sampling of some of the showdowns we're especially excited to see today: – Rory McIlroy vs. Ian Poulter: What a way to start the day, with a showdown of these two past champions. McIlroy reportedly has a new swing coach, while Poulter can never be counted out in match play. McIlroy, his former Ryder Cup teammate, knows that first-hand. – Patrick Reed vs. Bubba Watson: Watson is a past winner at Austin Country Club, while Reed has made it to the Round of 16 twice in Austin. Between Bubba's big, bending tee shots and Reed's stellar short game, this is a match for those who like to watch an old-school brand of golf. – Matt Fitzpatrick vs. Jordan Spieth: These guys are the exception in today's power game but they're both in good form. Fitzpatrick has finished no worse than 11th in his last four starts, while Spieth has three top-5s in his last five starts. – Justin Thomas vs. Matt Kuchar: Thomas arrives on the heels of his PLAYERS win but Kuchar can't be counted out in match play. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1997 and claimed this event in 2013. No one has made it to the Round of 16 in Austin more often than Kuchar. He's one of two players to advance out of pool play three times in the four tournaments at Austin CC (Louis Oosthuizen is the other). Kuchar was runner-up the last time this event was played, in 2019. – Lee Westwood vs. Sergio Garcia: This match features two resurgent 40-somethings who have been stalwarts on Europe's Ryder Cup teams. Westwood recently had consecutive runners-up at THE PLAYERS and Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, while Garcia's win at the Sanderson Farms Championship was his first in 3 ½ years and he recently finished ninth at THE PLAYERS.

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